Terra Ascending

By: J. R. Wise

Narrated by: Patrick Kelly Shannon

Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The Sol System is a powder keg waiting for a spark. Corporal James Aurelius didn’t sign up for this. Fancy hotels, powerful politicians, and… guard duty. Two years into his enlistment and the young marine has yet to see combat, while all his buddies from boot camp have done at least one tour in the war that raged with the Caliphate back on Terra. During a routine security mission in a cloud city on Venus, Aurelius is thrust into the center of a high stakes espionage mission gone wrong that threatens to upset the balance of power in the Sol System. In over his head and on the run, will Aurelius rise to the occasion or falter when he’s needed most?

Back on Terra, the United Republic and its allies prepare to knock the Caliphate out of the war for good, but a nasty battlefield surprise throws a wrench into their plans. As the battle grows more desperate and loyalties are tested, Aurelius and teams from across the UR military cross paths at a critical moment that could mean the end of everything… again.

Join the marines, soldiers, and sailors of the UR as they struggle for survival against enemies within and without as the Sol System stands on the precipice of system-wide war in the thrilling debut by United States Marine Corps combat veteran, J.R. Wise.

©2024 J.R. Wise (P)2024 J.R. Wise

Great

This is a great start to what could be a new exciting alternate universe for us military sci-fi fans!

The storyline really grabs your attention!!

Love! love!! love!!! Five different short stories that combined to form a larger narrative ❤️ I love using audible when commuting, the length and the intensity of the stories had me constantly ready for the next listen. The audio really brought out the action.

A Breathtaking Space Marine SciFi

Succinctly told, Terra Ascending is a fast story that follows a couple different strike teams on missions within a larger conflict.

I wish it could have taken more time for inner-world exploration and down time, but in its own way it does make space for strike team dynamics, warrior relationships, and mid-combat hilarity.

I laughed a lot more than I expected to at the banter between comrades.

I've never read a military sci-fi as realistically military as this one before. And while it took me a bit to learn to follow the radio com and military lingo, the authenticity made it that much more amazing. The action was only difficult to follow in the way that battles are chaotic cr*pstorms. When one thing went right for our boys in the fight, two things went wrong. And that pacing keeps you clinging to the edge of your seat.

Corporal James Aurelias is a realistically dimensional and compelling character to follow, and I'm only sad we don't yet have a feature length novel from his pov alone.
Terra Ascending puts us in the boots of several other strike teams as they battle the Caliphate empire on earth. Then snatching us into orbit to defend one of the UR's naval space craft where all players...and spies, converge.
The details of munitions, loading, staged firing sequences, troop movements and ground tactics, paired with futuristic exo-suits, vehicles called Mammoths, and explosive drones, not to mention surface to orbit missiles (and vice versa) made this feel so real and now.

The ending is both satisfying and left me with a huge hankering for more.
Highly recommend to thrill-seekers wanting to get lost in something brisk.

One thing I REALLY SUPER loved about this story was how the author portrayed the female team members. They were realistic. They were valued and held their own in a firefight, whatever their specialization. I'll be coming back if this author writes any more combat girlies.